The Webby Awards is a world-renowned and highly competitive title that’s rigorous in its judging, with a panel of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators scrutinising the best the internet has to offer. A creative smorgasbord of excellent ideas, perusing the Webby nominees and winners is a cathartic exercise that has most marketers kicking themselves and lamenting “I wish I’d come up with that idea”. To give credit where it’s absolutely due, we take a good look at this year’s best in finance and see who dominated the world of digital from websites and apps through to podcasts.
STASH – powerful educational content
Finance brands disrupting the banking industry is what really stands out amongst this year’s Webby Award winners and nominees. Nominated for best financial services app, the STASH personal finance and investing app provides tools and guidance to help consumers achieve financial freedom from traditional banking institutions.
Financial marketers need to watch out for disruptive brands like STASH that are challenging the status quo and putting financial literacy above all else for consumers.
Financial marketers need to watch out for disruptive brands like STASH that are challenging the status quo and putting financial literacy and understanding above all else for consumers. STASH is using education as a powerful content marketing tool to teach its audience about markets, budgeting and investing. Content marketing is at the heart of how STASH interacts with its audience, boasting a dedicated content hub that uses iconography and dynamic charts to help explain investments and projections. Targeted a millennial audience, the challenger brand steers clear of the static excel charts many finance brands are known for, embracing a more design-led style with simple, eye-catching and easy to understand data visualisations.
[dianomi]
RangeDe – striking illustration
Social change is at the heart of RangDe, India’s first peer-to-peer online micro-lending platform. A Webby Award website nominee, the RangDe homepage uses beautiful illustrations to explain its concept of providing relief to marginal farmers through interest-free loans.
Financial marketers should take note that websites gracing the Webby Awards’ ranks aren’t heavy on stock standard images of suits in a boardroom or shaking hands – so don’t be afraid to break-free from stereotypically brand-safe imagery. What makes RangDe’s website stand out from most finance brands is its unique design and style, incorporating illustration and animation. Illustration is a style synonymous with storytelling and a technique finance brands could use to capture an audience’s attention and explain the journey the brand has been on.
Happy Money – impactful language
Taking home the title of Best Website, Happy Money is helping borrowers become savers with products that help you divorce from your credit cards and leave “sad money” behind. Pairing bold design with direct and impactful language, Happy Money has taken a refreshing approach that does away with the boring and stuffy language synonymous with many finance websites.
Design Matters – stand-out speakers
2020 saw the introduction of the podcast category for the Webby Awards with Debbie Millman’s Design Matters taking out the title of Honoree. Millman is a renowned design author, educator and brand strategist who launched the world’s first podcast about creativity and design. Since 2005, Millman has interviewed luminaries such as philosopher Alain de Botton, Googler Robert Wong and illusionist Derren Brown to name a few. Millman has carefully curated a list of guests that spark creative and compelling discussions around design and what it means. All finance brands should look to Design Matters as an excellent example of the weight of having credible and insightful guest speakers featuring in podcasts.
Business wars – powerful storytelling
While not a finance brand, Business Wars is another successful podcast worth noting that unpicks the rivalries between some of the world’s biggest brands like Netflix vs. HBO or Nike vs. Adidas. Delving into what drives each business, the podcast could serve as creative inspiration for asset and wealth managers looking for new ways to report on high conviction stocks or emerging businesses worth watching.
If you’re looking for some more inspiration, the full list of Webby Awards winners can be found here.
